Volleyball is back on track after tough week

The Blue Knights volleyball team swept last week with three-straight wins, dropping just one game overall in a trio of best-of-seven series. But three victories don’t explain the current state the team was in after suffering a pair of losses the week before to Newington and South Windsor.

Southington coach Lou Gianacopolos said that the team’s main focus was to reset their minds when asked what they had to do, in order to snap out of the funk they were in.

“It might be cliché, but you have to go through adversity before you can accomplish success,” the coach said. “That was this team’s adversity, going through some losses and learning how to lose. It was a tool for me to learn how these guys react when they’re not doing well. It allows me to coach them at different angles.”

Combating the co-op

The Knights opened up the week with a 3-0 sweep over Bulkeley-HMTCA on Monday, May 16.

Mike Aberizk and Devin Prive led the offensive attack with seven kills apiece.

“Our senior leaders have taken this team to have small meetings off to the side to regroup these past couple of matches,” said Gianacopolos. “That was very helpful, and it had quite a bit to do with how we’re regrouping.”

The Knights (14-3) will put a lid on their regular season with a road match at Farmington (9-8) on Monday, May 23, but going forward, Gianacopolos said that the team has to believe in itself and execute.

“We have this term called no bubbles,” the coach said. “When you’re up and you have a lead, which we do quite often, you continue to push and don’t let up. If this team continues with that philosophy, I don’t think there’s a team that can really affect us in a way where we can’t rebound.”

Southington clinched the CCC South title with a 7-1 record and is fourth in Class L and the CCC.